Bucks Shedding Velvet Early

Like so much that happens in the cycle of the whitetail’s year, the timing of bucks shedding their antler velvet is closely tied to photoperiod (the number of hours of daylight in a day). Decreasing photoperiod in late summer triggers increasing testosterone levels, which leads to antler hardening and then velvet shedding.

Interestingly, bucks began shedding a full week earlier this year where I hunt in north-central Pennsylvania. How do I know this? I conduct an annual 14-day baited trail-camera survey every summer that always ends Labor Day weekend. Thus, the start date varies slightly, but it is always in late August. In addition to the great information the survey reveals about deer density, adult sex ratio, buck age structure and fawn recruitment rate, I also gather a ton of interesting anecdotal information like travel patterns of specific bucks, antler quality, and velvet shedding dates.

The chart below shows my survey start date, the first date a velvet-shed buck was photographed, and whether the first shed buck was young (1.5 to 2.5 years old) or older (3.5 years or older) based on body characteristics, for the past five years. This analysis does not suggest other bucks that I did not photograph did not shed sooner. However, given that I conducted the trail-camera surveys using the same method at the same five bait sites at the same relative time for each of the years listed, and photographed an average of 20 unique bucks each year, I’m pretty confident the bucks using my family’s property shed earlier than usual this year.

Maybe the first buck to shed in 2012 was an anomaly, but the second buck (a 3.5+ year-old) shed on August 25, which was four days sooner than the next earliest date (in 2008). See photos of these two bucks in the Gallery below. The third buck (1.5 years) shed on August 28.

Some have suggested that early velvet shedding is drought related. I disagree, as we are dry, but we’re much luckier than most of the country, and we’ve had more rain this summer than we did during summer 2011. Whatever the reason, it is fun to monitor this cycle, and we’re blessed to watch hard-antlered bucks a little sooner than normal this year!

Year

Survey Start Date

First Shed Buck

Age Est.

2012

Aug. 19

Aug. 22

1.5

2011

Aug. 21

No bucks shed by Sept. 4

n/a

2010

Aug. 23

Aug. 30

3.5+

2009

Aug. 23

Sept. 4

3.5+

2008

Aug. 17

Aug. 29

3.5+

Gallery

My buddy Kevin is going to the farm sometime this week to look at the cameras, it has been about 2 weeks. Hope to see some nice bucks, does & fawns. I would expect that the bucks have shed there velvet & they are starting to NOT like each other by now. I mentioned a while back that I wanted to do an article on my little corner of utopia & send it to Lindsay & you for your consideration of putting it in Quality Whitetail. I still want to do that & hope to do that after I get back to Florida in early December.

Best of luck hunting this Fall,

Tom Mac

Posted by Tom Mac on 2014-10-14 09:01:53

Hey Tom. It's good to hear from you. Velvet shedding was normal timing this year for us. I've seen many heaters advertised for hunting stands. I haven't used any so am not sure which ones are best. Great job with the food plot and I'm glad you'll be able to come up and hunt this year. Good luck and send me pics of what you shoot.

Posted by Kip Adams on 2014-10-14 07:57:12

In my last post it didn't show the photo of the food plot photo I attached, so sending again. Tom Mac

Posted by Tom Mac on 2014-10-08 07:07:25

Hi Kip, Saw this article on shedding with table up to 2012. Have you updated it for this year? It seems from the farm in Greenwich, NY that the shedding is later this year. We have not kept records, so that is just a gut feel.A few months ago I contacted you on my plans to go on vacation up in NY & Maine and spending a week in mid-August with my buddy Kevin getting the food plots ready, i.e cleaning, tilling, & planting. The ground was a little damp and a bit of rain after, so the plots are growing great. The photo below was taken a couple of weeks ago. Heading up to NY in mid-November & really looking forward to that. I am told the acorns & apples are plentiful this year. I may have to go stump sitting vs staying in my tree house. Are you aware of any portable tree house heaters I can buy?? Not making hunter season last year, I'm afraid this O'body has gotten too use to the warm weather of Florida.Good luck this year & hope all is well with you & your family,Tom Mac

Posted by Tom Mac on 2014-10-08 06:56:08

My deer also started rubbing their antlers early here in mid-Michigan with a start date of August 26th (the earliest I have ever had) but I also had deer that did not finish rubbing until September 15th. I run seven camera's year round and was able to capture 26 different bucks on them in the center of the 300 acres I manage and hunt. I felt that because of the really dry weather that water would be the secret to sucess and it proved me right, the deer went to my springs like it was candy, It probaly won't work every year but they will always need water!

Posted by Your on Camera on 2013-01-22 21:58:46

Thanks for the message and good luck this season.

Posted by Kip Adams on 2012-09-11 11:03:21

I'm in central Virginia and are able to watch a number of deer from the comfort of my house during the year. This morning i watched two 2 1/2 bucks shed their velvet in my backyard. I feel like they are right on time with cycle of life this year and i can't wait to start seeing some pre rut action later this fall.

Posted by matt on 2012-09-09 07:34:05

I've been monitoring a nice 4 and a half year old buck all year through trail cameras. Based on the photos I got of him in early Spring he dropped his antlers late so his development though impressive has been lagging behind all Summer compared to other bucks I got shots of. Circumstances like this should be taken into consideration as it relates to velvet shedding.

Posted by TN.stud on 2012-09-07 11:37:25

Photoperiod is still the main driver, so you may notice increased movement a few days early but the majority of does should still get bred at the same time as past years. Good luck crossing paths with your top wish- list buck.

Posted by Kip Adams on 2012-09-07 11:32:32

I had my number one hit list buck shed very early this year too in GA. We've had plenty of rain and he lives in almost zero pressure so stress shouldn't be a factor either. I've had a lot of people say the same though about the 2012 year that a lot of bucks have shed early. I wonder if it will be indicative of an early rut...